Some of the report’s troubling findings include:

• 64%, or 11.9million, of the country’s 18.6million children live in poverty. Many of them are Aids orphans – about 5.5million people have HIV/Aids in South Africa, more than in any other country

• Only 54% of the HIV-positive children who should be on antiretroviral treatment are receiving it;

• More than 270 babies and their mothers die after birth on average a day, mainly due to HIV/Aids, and the maternal mortality rate has increased by 80% since 1990;

• 582000 children who should be attending high school are not – 28% don’t have the money for fees and 15% because “education is useless”;

• Of 56500 children who were victims of violent crime in 2009-2010, 27417 were raped or molested. Of those, 29% were aged between 0 and 10.

Read the full article below:

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The Times: Young,hungry,helpless

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article986417.ece/Young-hungry-helpless

UN,USA

The family has done everything they can do to save their little girl’s life. Right now they have left for Boston, USA to get help from surgical doctors who will perform further surgeries.

She has had emergency surgery to lighten the pressure of the tumor on her windpipe but traveling abroad for further surgery that includes reconstruction of her spine has thrown her family into a financial crisis.

“At Massachusetts General Hospital Natalie will undergo pre-operative Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) – a specialised form of radiation. Surgery will follow some time in April, and once Natalie is rested and has recovered from the operation, she will have further PBT.”

The surgery and PBT treatment is very costly and their hospital insurance only covers essential expenses in South Africa.

Both surgery and the treatment will cost approximately R 2-3m and the family cannot afford such amount “So any support, however big or small, is deeply appreciated.”

Let’s open our hearts and offer a gift of life to our little friend.
To support Natalie go to: http://www.nataliescircleoflove.org/make-a-donation

Everyone has a responsibility to support people living with HIV and AIDS. Photo: Development Works via Flickr

Currently there are more than 33 million people in the world living with HIV and AIDS, according to avert.org. This website also reports that 605,480 people died of HIV and AIDS related causes in South Africa in 2006 (although this is sometimes difficult to calculate). Many people have relatives, friends, and partners who have died of HIV and AIDS.

In the past few years a lot has been done by governments, health organisations and researchers to develop medication and preventative measures for this incurable disease. But this is also a disease that requires personal responsibility from those affected by it.

Recently it was revealed at the International Aids Conference in Vienna that researchers had developed a vaginal gel that decreases the probability of women acquiring HIV/AIDS by 39 percent and genital herpes by 51 percent if applied before and after sex, the Wall Street Journal reports.  It is estimated that the gel, in the next 10 years, could prevent half a million infections in South Africa alone.

But, as with other preventative measures like the use of condoms and treatment measures such as the use of anti-retroviral medication, responsibility lies with the individual to actually make use thereof and, especially in the case of ARVs, to keep on using it.

The use of microbicides in a vaginal gel has proven effective in the fight against HIV. Photo: Development Works via Flickr

We all have a role to play in supporting those living with HIV and AIDS, as the stigmatisation of the disease is causing real damage. Stigma keeps people from getting tested for HIV and collecting their ARVs. They fear that people will reject them if they know they are HIV positive. Stigma even keeps some people from using a condom as they are scared that their partner will think they are using it because they have HIV.

It is also really disheartening to hear that people are now stealing and smoking ARVs and marijuana as a mixture called whoonga. Some people are too afraid to collect their ARVs from clinics as they might be mugged on their way home.

Luckily there are also many individuals that are supporting people living with HIV and AIDS. Especially women often act as care givers to these people. They should truly be commended for the incredible work they are doing.

Recognition is also necessary for the South Africans that are protecting themselves when they have intimate relationships with their partners and for those who are affected, but taking treatment appropriately. We are proud of you! This shows that if South Africans work together, we can conquer!

Speakers take part in the Health Summit held in Khayelitsha. Photo: Nondumiso Ntsengentsu

Khayelitsha residents came in great numbers to the two-day Health Summit that was held at Isiphiwo Primary School in Harare on Saturday and Sunday, 20-21 November. This was their chance to voice their concerns regarding health care service delivery. 

SANGOCO Western Cape, People’s Health Movement South Africa, DKT International, City of Cape Town, and other role players in public health met with the members of the community discuss these issues.

Funders and sponsors like Capitec Bank gave messages of support at the Summit and the current status of health in Khayelitsha was discussed by Dr Virginia Azevedo of the City Health Department.

In her presentation, Dr Azevedo showed that there is a high mortality rate for children under the age of 5 with Gastro-Aids. The high number of people who are suffering from womb cancer shows the poor access to antenatal care in Khayelitsha, compared to other areas like Michell’s plain.

Professor Nomafrench Mbombo, a deputy director at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) School of Nursing said antenatal care during pregnancy is of great importance, so that problems with the health of the mother or the baby can be diagnosed at an early stage. “No woman should die unnecessary,” she said.

Health issues that are of concern to the community of Khayelitsha was discussed at the Health Summit. Photo: Nondumiso Ntsengentsu

According to Mbombo there is a high demand for community participation in issues regarding primary health care.

At the Summit, the community was given a chance to raise the issues they have regarding health in their areas. The fact that there are people who have to take treatment on an empty stomach, is one issue that is of great concern to the community.

Mama Mangconde from Makhaza initiated a project in December 2006 to give food to patients while they are waiting for the doctors. But they had to cancel the project due to financial problems. This has made the situation worse, as there is now no hope for the patients of getting food on their way back home. Mangconde said they need more help from the government and funders, so that they can give back to the needy.

Organisations like DKT International did surveys in Khayelitsha and found that males refused to go to a clinic, as they do not want to be examined by a woman. They also discovered that people refused to test for HIV when they went to the clinic regarding a sexually transmitted infection (STI’s ).There is still a stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS in these areas, which makes it hard for people to get tested. They are scared of what other people might think if they went into the testing room.

NGO’s, NPO’s, CBO’s, government and funders were asked to take hands to make Khayelitsha a better, healthier place.

Children need to be loved and protected from violence to stop them from becoming perpetrators of violence themselves. Photo: Thetravellinged via Flickr

South Africa was recently shocked by the gang-rape of a school girl by three of her fellow pupils. The girl was drugged and raped while other pupils watched and filmed it on their cellphones. Why are some children in South Africa so violent and what can be done about it?

Some people have spoken about a “culture of violence” in South Africa, but implying that violence is inherently South African is not helpful. The cause of the problem needs to be found and addressed.

South Africa is not the only country that struggles with violent and dysfunctional youth. Safe Families Safe Children, an international group of renowned child rights organisations, including ACER Brasil, The International Children’s Trust, JUCONI Ecuador, JUCONI Mexico, New Life (South Africa) and Railway Children (UK, India and East Africa) “promote access for highly excluded children from violent homes around the world to the support and services they require to recover from their traumatic life experiences and gain sustainable access to their rights”.

In this organisation’s “Manifesto of Change” they site the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study which “found a clear link between the adverse experiences in childhood (including physical, emotional or sexual abuse and living in households with domestic violence) and a range of physical, emotional and social problems, including: heart disease, obesity, depression, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, rape and poor job performance”.

Children who experience violence in their families feel neglected and excluded from their community. They often end up on the street. Photo: Phil @ Delfryn Design via Flickr

The Manifesto also states that a study in the UK had found that 72% of children who have killed or committed serious, usually violent, crimes, have experienced abuse.

These children do not take active part in their community as they feel neglected or not part of that community. They often end up on the streets as they experience violence, rather than love, from their families.

Safe Families Safe Children believes that action must be taken on three levels to break the cycle of violence.

In the field the internal and external needs of the most excluded children from violent homes should be met. Not only must the violence be stopped and youths be given access to education and health care, but the youths need to be helped to emotionally recover from the trauma of abuse.

Secondly, community stakeholders must be able to recognise and work with the most excluded children from violent homes in the communities.

Thirdly, policies and guidelines should be drawn up that prioritise and address the experiences and emotional needs of these children in government and funding agencies.

New Life believes in working not only with the children, but also their families. However, this is a difficult process. Photo: Thetravellinged via Flickr

The aim is to ensures that vulnerable children are recognised and participate in society and can fulfill their goals in life.

New Life, the South African partner of Safe Families Safe Children,  does not only work with street children, but also tries to engage their families, taking a holistic approach. According to their website, their vision is “to empower out of school/street (most excluded) children and their families, living in violent and poor communities, to combat the problems of poverty, lack of schooling, family violence, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS”.

This is a difficult process as children cannot go back to dysfunctional families without the families first undergoing serious change. Not all families are open to this process. But often institutionalisation does not work for children either and they end up on the streets. How do you think the issue of most excluded children from violent homes should be addressed? Please leave your comment below.

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